As much as the games that pitted top teams in the Central Coast Section were talked about, there were tons of great finishes and surprises that flew under the radar in a thrilling Week 10.
Burlingame 21, No. 10 Sacred Heart Prep 14
The Panthers always seem to play the Gators tough, but few would have predicted a Burlingame victory to snap a three-game losing streak. However, the Panthers found a trump card in Elijah La Guardia, a sophomore who saw minimal playing time until Friday’s game. He ran eight times for 66 yards and caught a three-yard pass from Jordan Malashus with 19 seconds left in the second quarter to give Burlingame (4-5, 2-3 PAL Bay) a halftime lead.
Sacred Heart Prep (6-3, 3-2) would tie it up in the third with a nine-yard Tevita Moimoi touchdown run as their bell cow returned towards his full capacity. Still, he wasn’t yet at 100%, evidenced by his 34 yards on 11 carries. Tatafu Mahoni took the lion’s share of the runs and gained 101 yards on 17 rushes, including a five-yard score for the game’s first points early in the second quarter. Ultimately, the Panthers would emerge victorious as they engineered a 12-play, 83-yard drive that covered nearly six minutes across the third and fourth quarters, finally taking the lead for good on a three-yard touchdown run by Lucas Meredith (19 carries-62 yards). SHP turned the ball over on downs just across midfield as Leo Epstein was able to force quarterback Teddy Purcell out of bounds just shy of the marker, and the Panthers were able to run the final 5:52 off the clock, with a 20-yard Jordan Malashus to Devon Malashus pass serving as the key play to seal the victory and all but guarantee an 11th straight playoff appearance for Burlingame.
Terra Nova 35, No. 13 King’s Academy 16
The Tigers are peaking at the right time, riding Jalen Camp’s impressive rushing abilities to a third consecutive win. He found the end zone twice in his 153-yard performance, a game that Terra Nova (6-3, 3-2 PAL Bay) was able to control the whole way. Both Raphael Bendo and Dominic Gordon got time at quarterback for the Tigers, but Camp was the go-to guy. King’s Academy (7-2, 2-2) had to play without junior linebacker Noah Short, and while Joel Ronca (7 carries-78 yards) and Zach Lewman (8-70) were each able to help make up for his absence offensively, the defense suffered without him en route to allowing a season-high in points.
No. 25 San Mateo 20, No. 24 Hillsdale 10
The Fighting Knights more than doubled their crosstown rivals in yards, but four turnovers on downs in San Mateo territory and a fumble returned 90 yards for a touchdown by Dane Anderson powered the Bearcats to a fourth straight win. San Mateo (8-1, 4-1 PAL Ocean) also got a 34-yard touchdown run by quarterback Luke Bergstrom, who didn’t complete a single pass but didn’t have to, leading the triple option brilliantly and helping keep his team in front. Marco Martin put things away with a late 45-yard touchdown as Hillsdale (6-3, 3-2) became the latest in a long line of teams to be stymied by the Bearcat defense. Kevin Pelaez had another 15 tackles to bring him to 100 in the year, fifth in the entire section. He wasn’t alone in his efforts, as Abdier Irizarry de Jesus had 13 tackles, Soane Kolokihakaufisi had 11 and Omar Maithaluni had 10.
Overfelt 34, Willow Glen 28
Melvon Bellard has been tremendous for the Royals over the last three seasons, and his heroics continued on Friday with a game-winning 15-yard touchdown with four seconds left. The teams traded three scores over the final two minutes, with Willow Glen (6-3, 3-3 BVAL Santa Teresa) tying the game on a 30-yard touchdown from Gabe Negrete to Jack Reilly with 42 seconds left. The two hooked up again on a two-point conversion to tie it, but Bellard was there to save the day for Overfelt (6-3, 5-1). He took the ensuing kickoff 55 yards, then hauled in the winning score from Paul Renteria in the final moments. Before Negrete and Reilly had connected to tie it, Tristan Maningo had given the Royals a 28-20 lead on a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:48 remaining.
Mt. Pleasant 46, Prospect 40 (2 OT)
The Cardinals had to fight back from a two-score deficit and make a late goal-line stand to force overtime, then escaped with the win to clinch at least a share of the BVAL West Valley title. Mt. Pleasant (6-3, 6-0) is in prime position to grab the division’s lone playoff bid, and a win over Lick (5-4, 3-3) on Thursday would ensure a postseason trip for the Cardinals.
They were able to storm the field in celebration at Prospect as Marco Herrera raced in for a walk-off six-yard touchdown in double overtime after a defensive stand to cap off a madcap finish. The Panthers had taken a 28-14 lead early in the third quarter behind the rushing efforts of Devin King, but Mt. Pleasant was able to respond with a 35-yard pass from Ethan Hernandez to Herrera. With the Panthers backed deep into their own territory, Joshua Hernandez was able to recover a fumble in the end zone to tie the game before the quarter ended. Prospect (4-5, 3-3) took the lead back early in the fourth, but the Cardinals tied it with three minutes left on another Ethan Hernandez pass to Herrera. However, they missed the go-ahead extra point, then found themselves on the verge of defeat as Prospect was able to drive down the field. Ultimately, they managed to force a turnover on downs to take the game to OT, then answered a Prospect touchdown with a 10-yard Joshua Hernandez run on their first play. However, the snap on the potential game-winning extra point was blocked, necessitating the second overtime and Herrera’s game-winning score.
“That was something I had never been a part of,” head coach Frank Lopez Jr. said. “It was amazing.”
Santa Cruz 25, Soquel 14
The Stump is in the hands of the Cardinals for just the 15th time in 58 meetings, and with it is an outright PCAL Cypress title. Santa Cruz (7-2, 5-0) was going to be guaranteed at least a share of the league title with the win, but North Monterey County (6-3, 3-2) suffered a 20-16 upset loss at the hands of King City (5-4, 2-3) to clinch the title for the Cardinals before the final week of the regular season. Sophomore running back Qwentin Brown had a monster game to bring the trophy back to Santa Cruz, with 223 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The first of those was a one-yard plunge on fourth down, and the second was a 38-yard dash that gave the Cardinals a two-score lead. Sophomore quarterback Max Mendoza ran for a 21-yard score for Soquel (8-2, 4-2).
No. 7 Palma 45, No. 12 Aptos 38
For most players, a 318-yard game would be a stunning performance, but such greatness is to be expected of Anthony Villegas. He put together one of his most prolific games yet as the Chieftains overcame an early two-score deficit, then engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth battle before Villegas ran for the decisive score, a 31-yard sprint with 2:52 left. He scored all four of Palma’s touchdowns in the second half, including an 81-yarder, and Guy Bessey knocked down a pass on fourth down at the 25-yard line with 18 seconds left after Aptos (5-4, 4-2 PCAL Gabilan) had made a bid to tie the game. Palma (7-2, 5-1) fought back from the early deficit with touchdown runs from Vinny Crivello and Jon Jon Berring, finding success by lining Berring up in the wildcat formation.
